Wake-Up Call: Wednesday, July 30, 2008

With the PolitickerAZ.com Wake-Up Call e-mailed to your inbox, phone, Blackberry or PDA first thing in the morning, you can get a rundown of Arizona's top political headlines. Sign up to get the Wake-Up Call delivered every morning.

With the PolitickerAZ.com Wake-Up Call e-mailed to your inbox, phone, Blackberry or PDA first thing in the morning, you can get a rundown of Arizona's top political headlines. Sign up to get the Wake-Up Call delivered every morning.

Club for Growth out with pro-Schweikert ad

5th Congressional District candidate David Schweikert is getting some help from the conservative Club for Growth in a new cable ad running in the district.

The ad, entitled "Keep Fighting," praises Schweikert for his fiscal responsibility as Maricopa County treasurer and a member of the Arizona House. (PolitickerAZ.com, Evan Brown)

Link: http://www.politickeraz.com/evanbrown/1783/club-growth-out-pro-schweiker...

Lawmaker: Hot line averted 1,221 suicides

U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell of Arizona said this week that 22,000 veterans have called the Department of Veteran's Affairs suicide hot line in its first year of operation.

Mitchell, the chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, said 1,221 suicides "have been averted." (Tucscon Citizen, Sheryl Kornman)

Link: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/arizona/92238.php

McCain seems to change on preference ban

PHOENIX — A decade ago, when John McCain was first considering a presidential bid, Arizona's senior senator said a state constitutional amendment to wipe out affirmative action programs was a bad idea. (Daily Star, Howard Fischer)

Link: http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/politics/250493.php

Big money, not citizens, is driving Ariz. ballot initiatives

So much for the "citizens" with this year's batch of citizens initiatives.

For most of the nine initiatives planned for the November ballot, financial backing from individual donors has been scarce. The money has flowed almost exclusively from corporations, political committees and a relative handful of wealthy individuals.

Grass-roots? Nope. Not yet anyway. (Arizona Republic, Matthew Benson)

Link: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/07/30/20080730initiatives073...

Aspiring journalist vying to cover party convention

At a time when the "cool thing" to do on college campuses is to join the Obamamania movement, University of Arizona student Sara Pat Badgley is sticking to her conservative roots.

Her mom, Jude Badgley, thinks this might be what will help the aspiring journalist win an all-expenses-paid trip to one of the national political conventions and cover the event as a citizen journalist. (Arizona Republic, Jourdan Rassas)

Link: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/07/30/20080730videofinalist0...

Gordon asks media to watch Arpaio's immigration sweeps

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon escalated his feud with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Tuesday, calling on the national media to come to the Valley and observe the sheriff's crackdown on illegal immigration. (Arizona Republic, Jerry Kamer)

Link: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/07/30/20080730gordon0730.htm...

The rules of reporting funds at issue in Shadegg-Lord race

The Arizona Republican Party has accused Democrat Bob Lord of violating fundraising laws in a complaint to the Federal Election Commission.

The complaint was filed last week and became public earlier this week. (Arizona Republic, Michael Clancy)

Link: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/07/30/20080730phxcongress073...

RTA wants '06 ballots held for recount

The Regional Transportation Authority wants to conduct its own unofficial recount of the ballots from the 2006 election, and wants a judge to require the county to keep the ballots until that happens. (Daily Star, Andrea Kelly)

Link: http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/metro/250511.php

Monday is deadline to register to vote in September primary

The deadline to register to vote in the Sept. 2 primary is midnight Monday.

Independent voters can vote in the upcoming primary but must choose a single party's ballot when they vote. (Tucson Citizen, Blake Morlock)

Link: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/local/92230.php

Reinhard to support troops by becoming one

As reported by PolitickerAZ.com's Wally Edge earlier, Tony Reinhard, the former spokesman for the Arizona Republican Party who recently moved to the executive director position at the Maricopa County Republican Party, is soon to leave that position as well. His new job: United States Army officer. (PolitickerAZ.com, Evan Brown)

Link: http://www.politickeraz.com/evanbrown/1786/reinhard-support-troops-becom...

With the PolitickerAZ.com Wake-Up Call e-mailed to your inbox, phone, Blackberry or PDA first thing in the morning, you can get a rundown of Arizona's top political headlines. Sign up to get the Wake-Up Call delivered every morning.